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Technical Update Posy Moody | NZH Manager

Lincoln University Research funded by NZ Herefords
Cristian Moreno Carcia

With the support of the NZHA, in 2018 Cristian Moreno
Garcia embarked on a study of the grazing behaviour of
Hereford cattle in steep and rugged terrain. The first two
years were dedicated to recording measures of the grazing
behaviour of over 300 cows using GPS tracking devices
on four farms in the Canterbury Region. His ‘grazing
personality model’ published in Frontiers of Veterinary
Science in March 2020 (https://www.frontiersin.org/
article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00074/full) postulated that
different grazing behaviours of cattle might be controlled
genetically, which might then offer opportunities for
improved breeding and selection.
To test this hypothesis, in 2021 Cristian and colleagues
from the Gene Marker Laboratory at Lincoln University
investigated variation in a potential ‘grazing gene’ in the
Hereford herds. The GPS data, information from satellite
images and genetics analysis were combined to test
for genotype-phenotype associations and the ability to
predict grazing behaviours based on genetics.
The researchers discovered three genetic variant
sequences of the grazing gene and identified six
genotypes in the Hereford cows. The different genotypes
showed associations with three grazing behaviours: the
daily home range, which is an estimate of the area covered
per day by a cow, the movement tortuosity that estimates Cristian loading DNA samples for genotyping.
the grazing ‘crookedness’, and a trend to association to the
daily range of elevation change. genotypes that potentially could be used to modify the
These results are even more meaningful when two grazing behaviour of individual cows and even of the
further parts of the results are considered. The first entire herd.
one is that cows of different genotypes had differences These findings are part of Cristian’s PhD research
of up to 25% for these behaviours. The second is the and currently are under revision for publication in an
disproportional representation of some genotypes in international peer-reviewed scientific journal.
the herds, where two dominant genotypes accounted for Cristian would like to express his immense gratitude to
70% of the cows. This leaves four very under-represented NZHA for supporting this research.

Bluestone Herefords used in the trial.

Hooked on Herefords NZ Herefords Newsletter. June, 2022 | 5